februum
Meaning
- neuterraremeans of purification, expiatory offerings
Februa Romani dixere piamina patres: nunc quoque dant uerbo plurima signa fidem. pontifices ab rege petunt et flamine lanas, quis ueterum lingua februa nomen erat
8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 2.19-23Quaecumque denique purgamenti causa in quibusque sacrificiis adhibentur, februa appellantur.
c. 2nd century, Sextus Pompeius Festus, De Verborum Significatione 76L
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | februum | februa febra |
| genitive | februī febrī | februōrum febrōrum |
| dative | februō febrō | februīs febrīs |
| accusative | februum | februa febra |
| ablative | februō febrō | februīs febrīs |
| vocative | februum | februa febra |
nam et Lupercalia februatio, Varr. L. L. 6, § 13 Müll.; cf. Serv. Verg. A. 8, 343: Ego arbitror Februarium a die Februato, quod tum februatur populus, id est lupercis nudis lustratur antiquum oppidum Palatinum gregibus humanis cinctum, id. ib. 6, § 34; cf. also Paul. ex Fest. p. 85, 13 sq. Müll.: Februa Romani dixere piamina patres, Ov. F. 2, 19; 4, 726; 5, 423: Juno pulchra ... nam Fluoniam, Februalemque ac Februam mihi poscere non necesse est, cum nihil contagionis corporeae sexu intemerata pertulerim, Mart. Cap. 2, § 149: Februlis, Paul. ex Fest. p. 85, 16 Müll.; Arnob. 3, p. 118 (dub. al. Februtis).Origins
Perhaps from Proto-Italic *feɣʷrwom (“belonging to an offering, means of purification”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰégʷʰrwom, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰógʷʰrus (“belonging to a burning, an offering”), from *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn, warm”), doublet of febris. Varro mentions that the alternative form "februm" derives from the Sabines. This etymology is likely false; the term likely has Latino-Faliscan origins due to the morpheme *-br-, whereas in Sabellic it would have been *-fr-. Throughout Roman literature, the term is associated with the distant past; authors routinely mention that it was used by the "ancients." It is likely that Varro was compelled to provide Sabine origins for the term due to their connection with Rome's mythological past. Instead, the term may simply have been an archaic Latin word. It was often used within a religious context and religious terminology can be archaizing.